Hadrian, 117-138. Denarius. Rome. AD 134-138 (Silver, 17.52 mm, 3.45 g). HADRIANVS - AVG COS II (sic!) P P, Draped bust right. Rev. AEGYPTO - S, Egypt reclining left on basket, holding sistrum and resting elbow on basket of fruit; in front, ibis. RIC II.3 1486. Cohen 102. BMCRE 800. Cabinet tone. About Extremely Fine. From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection. From the pen of G.M.S.: Here is another silver denarius of Hadrian that pays homage to the emperor’s physical and cultural closeness to the imperial province of Egypt. As head of state, he exercised authority over the region with the historical—and symbolically enduring—dignity of a pharaoh, while governance was entrusted to a prefect acting with the powers of a viceroy. The obverse differs from the previous specimen by depicting a draped bust with a bare head, and it features the erroneous legend COS II instead of the correct COS III. On the reverse, Isis once again appears reclining with the sistrum, but this time the ibis is freely positioned on the exergual line. The reverse legend also differs in layout, with the S of AEGYPTOS notably detached. All these distinctive features make this coin a particularly rare variant, in addition to its excellent state of preservation.